Generations Apart, But United Together

We’ve never experienced a conference session like what we had on Monday morning of our International Conference on Fundraising in San Diego: Four Young Philanthropists—Bilaal Rajan, Hugh Evans, Barbara Pierce Bush and Emmanuel Jal.

Four very different philanthropists, all under 30, focusing on four different causes using four different ways to make a difference. And yet, it was their commonalities that were the most inspiring: The impact they made, the lessons they learned, common themes of love, tolerance, respect and generosity.

And their presentations built on each other. Bilaal started, setting the stage and reminding us that young people aren’t the leaders of tomorrow, but today. Hugh and Barbara further built on that foundation, showing us all just how much young people can truly do. And finally there was Emmanuel, whom I mentioned in an earlier post. He moved from an account of his life as a boy soldier, to his work as an activist for peace and philanthropy, to his singing of two very lively hip-hop songs. He demonstrated just how powerful our work can be—and that what we do affects people everyday, sometimes in extraordinary ways.

That’s the story of our profession as well—each generation of fundraisers building on the previous one, taking lessons learned to expand our horizons even further. Each generation different from the next, working on very different causes in some cases, and using technology and methods that we can’t even imagine right now. But it’s our commonalities that unite us: dedication to the highest ethical standards with a goal of creating impact to change the world.

But the cycle doesn’t occur by itself. We have to help prepare the next generation—the one we saw in action in San Diego—and the generation after that. As different as they’ll be from us, we have to instill in them those commonalities. And then let them run with the rest—take what we’ve established, make it their own, and achieve new milestones that are years beyond us right now.

Growth in Salaries: A Good Sign for Future Fundraising

We’re always looking for signs and trends about whether or not giving will increase and how confident charities are for the future. The Nonprofit Research Collaborative’s 2012 Fundraising Survey indicated positive growth in 2012, and numbers for Giving USA will be out in June.

Another way to get a sense of giving strength is to examine fundraising salaries. A charity that has experienced fundraising success recently, or believes confidently that it will, is far more likely to pay higher salaries and provide raises and/or bonuses. While not definitive, increasing salaries will tend to show a strong giving climate.

So we can take heart in the latest results of AFP’s Compensation and Benefits Survey Report, which looks at salaries from 2012. The average fundraising salary in the U.S. increased by nine percent from 2011, and in Canada the growth was even stronger: 13 percent.

Those figures represent, by far, the highest increases we’ve seen since the 2007 when the recession began.  Since that time, salary levels have fluctuated a bit, even dropping slightly a couple of years ago—indicative of the very rough economic period the world has experienced since then.

There’s a lot of great information in the survey. It provides a good snapshot of where the profession is in terms of salary and benefits, as well as useful information about the workplace environment, which I’ll be examining more closely in a later post. I hope the report is useful to fundraisers as a bellwether of their own performance and what to expect as you move up the career ladder.

I’m curious to hear about your own experiences over the past year and what you might think you’ll see in the future.

The Fundraising Community Coming Together

San Diego seems a long time ago, even if it has only been a few weeks. Since then I've joined the Deutsche Fundraising Verband in celebrating their 20th anniversary in Berlin, I've met with fundraising colleagues from Hong Kong and Jakarta and I'm about to join the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand at their annual conference in Wellington.

Each experience highlights the extraordinary breadth of the global fundraising network. Each community brings something unique from its own experience and tradition, and contributes in different ways to building communities. I'm always struck that collectively we share a common motivation to create resources that benefit not just our own organization, but everyone’s—our entire profession and our communities around the world.

In San Diego last month we saw leaders from across the globe sharing their experiences with the AFP community and discussing how we can all work together to benefit each other. To create resources and programs that can help us raise funds better, engage others more effectively and create the kind of impact that changes the world—that’s why we come together.

I hope you found that sort of benefit and inspiration in San Diego—whether it was through our general sessions, like John Legend or our Four Young Philanthropists, or Marcus Buckingham’s terrific presentation on identifying and maximizing your strengths. May be it was the community you found in our social media (#afpicon was trending on Twitter, making it one of the most-used hashtags across the entire Twitter-verse), or ideas you gleaned from talking with some of the thousands of your colleagues.

I’ve found more ideas and inspiration in Germany, Hong Kong and Jakarta and will undoubtedly hear more when I’m in New Zealand. And I’ll be passing them on to you through this blog, as well as input into our own programs and services.

We don’t advance by ourselves. It takes a community, and the stronger and more united that community is, the stronger and more effective we as individuals will be.

I’m so proud to be part of the incredible global fundraising community, and it is events like our conference in San Diego, and similar events around the world, that demonstrate just how important our community is—both to our individual growth and our impact on society.

I’d love to hear about your conference experience(s) this year, whether in San Diego or anywhere else.

Our Celebration in San Diego: The Change That Philanthropy Creates

What if you didn’t know what day you were born? Or were forced to become a child soldier at the age of seven? What sort of ideas or values could you possibly hold on to—where you would find solace—in order to stay alive, stay sane and think about a better future?

Those aren’t hypothetical questions. That’s the life of Emmanual Jal, one of our speakers at the International Conference on Fundraising in San Diego, April 7-9.

Emmanuel held on to music and philanthropy. Music was the way he would tell his story, and he would use it to create impact and work for change.

From child solder born into a world of violence, to hip-hop artist—working with Alicia Keys—and peace activist, speaking in front of the United Nations: Emmanual Jal embodies the incredible change that philanthropy can create.

And that’s what we celebrate at the AFP conference. The incredible change that philanthropy creates. Change that can only happen through effective and ethical fundraising.

We’ll not be learning techniques and methods to raise money in San Diego. We’ll be learning, sharing and exchanging ways to change the world. To inspire donors to greater philanthropic heights. To better coordinate and mobilize volunteers and supporters through the stories we tell of our impact.
Emmanuel is one of just four philanthropists, all under the age of 30, whose stories you’ll hear during the conference. Fascinating tales of impact and inspiration, with their work starting as early as the age of four!

These speakers, and more, will refresh and enrich your spirit and help you rededicate yourself to your fundraising career in 2013 and beyond. And even if you can’t make it to San Diego, you can follow what’s happening by following the conference’s social media channels. There will be some great conversation and comments from our participants—another way you can get inspired about what you do!

Because together, we make incredible change. And AFP’s International Conference on Fundraising is where we come together to celebrate that change. And to learn how to create impact even more effectively.

I look forward to seeing you all there!

American Philanthropy: Lost in the Politics of the Sequester

Posted by Andrew Watt, FInstF 

In the high-stakes game of sequestration being played out between the White House and Congress, Democrats and Republicans, one side seems certain to lose: America’s nonprofit sector.

If sequestration occurs and $85 billion in automatic cuts are enacted, funding for charities in the form of grants and government contracts will be dramatically curtailed. Even if a compromise is reached and sequestration is avoided, deep cuts in nonprofit funding—in addition to caps on itemized deductions, including the charitable deduction—could still be implemented.

Significant cuts that will hit charitable programs hard—and the people who depend on them—are now on the table. Caps and limits on the charitable deduction—which will decrease charitable giving—are also on the table. The Obama Administration is pushing a 28 percent cap on all itemized deductions. Congressional Republicans have contemplated a similar cap.

Yet, we are lost in the politics of the moment—without any regard to the facts. For nearly a century, the charitable deduction has proven to be hugely effective. For every dollar of revenue forgone by the deduction, it provides roughly a three dollar return in the form of philanthropic services. The deduction encourages more than $300 billion in charitable contributions every year.

But there is no discussion of what this effective incentive means to charities. There is no discussion of how we will fund programs in the future. There is no discussion about how we can tackle the long-term problems that will continue to plague our country long after the sequester.

I lead an organization representing nearly 25,000 fundraisers and charities across the U.S. My main interest isn’t the sequester itself, but the consequences of whatever “solutions” our government devises. And make no mistake, although the overall amount of money involved in the sequester may be small compared to our the nation’s total budget, these cuts—and potential limits to the charitable deduction—will have a huge impact on our ability to provide programs.

We MUST have a conversation about long-term philanthropy and charity in this country, and the time is now.

Philanthropy is an extraordinary American tradition that is the envy of countries around the world. The charitable deduction and government funding for charitable programs are symbols of our commitment to the impact and change that philanthropy creates—communities coming together to help solve problems. Altering that commitment is not something we should take lightly or do in the spur of the moment.

In the battle over the sequester, the current discussion leaves the nonprofit sector between a rock and a hard place. But the Administration and Congress must remember our country’s long-standing commitment to philanthropy. The sequester will come and go, but the need for charitable programs will remain. If we forget our commitments and don’t talk about the long-term outlook for philanthropy, then we will do irreparable damage to charities—and to Americans across the country who depend on their services.

In Memory of Charles R. Stephens, CFRE

Posted by Andrew Watt, FInstF

One of the true pioneers of fundraising and philanthropy, Charles Stephens, passed away last week.

Charles was a giant in the field—one of the men and women who, by their actions, professionalized the entire field of fundraising. He leaves behind a legacy that is unmatched by any practitioner that came before him. I encourage you to read a little more about Charles if you don’t know much about his life. It’s full of firsts (such as the first African-American to chair AFP) and you’ll get a sense of what he has contributed to the profession.

But beyond the accomplishments was a man who was universally loved and respected. Talk to anyone who knew him and you’ll hear stories of his camaraderie, his generosity, and his personal charm and integrity. I was not fortunate enough to know Charles well, but I count myself lucky to have met him. I know that I will not meet his like again.

Thank you, Charles, for everything you did for AFP and the fundraising community. You will be missed greatly, and your memory will live on forever.

Public Policy in New York

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I had the opportunity to be in New York and talk to our chapter there recently. It’s a great city and one of the epicenters of the nonprofit community in the U.S., and the New York Chapter has long been one of the leaders in our association. In fact, the New York Chapter is the first one that was ever chartered by AFP.

One of the chapter members wrote an article about my presentation (thank you, Norma), and it’s worth highlighting because public policy issues such as the charitable deduction continue to remain paramount now. With sequestration (automatic budget cuts) approaching in March, the deduction is still on the table, and the Ways and Means Committee is set to have a hearing on the deduction very soon, at which I’ll be appearing and testifying.

But as I’ve said before, we have to think beyond just the deduction. This debate about public policy is our opportunity to bring all of us who care about society, care about the communities we live in, to one table. That’s representation from philanthropy, business, non-profits and government – all of us committed to one aim – making our world a better environment with equal opportunities for all.

Let’s not make this about a single issue. Let’s explore how we can support non-profit activity with new and sustainable revenue streams as well as tried and tested ones. Let’s explore how we can draw on the skills and experience of the many facets of our society for the benefit of all.